Red Legend
by Lugitorix
Summary: Embark on a journey through lands not explored by the Legend Trilogy. Experience Avalar through the eyes of young dragons forced to battle not unlike Spyro himself. Friendships Crumble, Loved Ones Perish, And the Fires of the Dark Wars rage on! Seperate story arc from the original TLOS series. Shout out to all my dA & FF Friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Time for Some Explaining! Everyone I'd like to come clean that I have been... unnecasarily foolish. I set up a secondary account to sort of peddle this story for some reason and start fresh since this account is kind of all stocked up with what I'd consider "Bad" Work. So if anyone recognizes this unpopular piece I Lugitorix, am Collaboriter. And I'll be taking back this account at the tip of my sword!**

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_**Prologue**_

In a barren wasteland, where the earth is dry, and drifts lighter than clouds at even the humblest gusts of wind. In the dark it is cold, and in the light it is a blaze of hatred, and the beacon of solar power. It can lead some to desolation, and others to places of their wildest dreams. The expanse of the desert covers hundreds of miles, thousands in width alone... home to bizarre creatures. A land dotted with Oasis, and small droughts of life. A land of promising feats... but also a land of danger and death.

A singular form flies aloft over one of the tall, awesome dunes. As it settles upon the loose terrain where the wind cannot reach it. It is a flag, a flag baring the symbol of Malefic power. A symbol of Malefor.

In the distance a fire has erupted, inaudible at the great distance, but the glow, and the smoke travels all across the land. In just three miles distance, the land becomes green. A lush oasis in the center of a gigantic dry spell. It was incredible... plentiful in water, numerous in farms, with great leagues of grass and tropical trees. The the flames engulfed most of the inner area...

Where a massive city stood.

As a catapult launched it's flaming ordinance across the sky, the densely packed forces of evil had long engaged in a bloody day-in-day-out siege upon this great city. It was unbelievable. Walls spanning miles across in a gigantic circle, encompassing giant buildings from the lower district to it's wealthy upper-class district. From slums to Towers, all built outward from it's unbelievable center-piece. A massive stone butte, thousands of feet tall, and a few hundred wide. It was solid granite, with amazing towers plugged into each of it's seeping flats. The outer walls alone were an impressive construction, fifty feet at regular level, seventy feet at each tower. Trebuchets mounted atop the walls either burned in their destruction, or returned their opposition's firepower at whatever fold they could muster.

Entire wall sections were crumbling, or severely damaged, brick, and mortar falling out to the streets below, or the terrain outside.

But the city was not without it's own trump card. They had something that the Dark armies could never muster. A creature that started this war, and one that would end it.

Dragons.

The wing of angels almost, dragons of all shapes and sizes. Adults, dressed in armor light-to-heavy. Mostly Earth, Fire, and Electricity. Why would ice dragons come here? It was a raw hell for them to live in such a hot environment; so very few bothered at all. There was that oddball in the masses.

The walls were scrambled with troopers. Though in this land, it was not moles who had built this city- at least they didn't have a massive role in it-instead it was creatures of similar quality. Armadillo replaced the smaller mole creatures; with tough hides, short arms, but considerable mobility, and good grip it was no wonder how they managed to scale construction sites in order to build upon the granite, and stone. They occupied much of the city alongside the dragons, but also along Dingo's(Cheetah-like Creatures) Or cheetah themselves who happened to find a home in this vast expanse of fiery desolation in order to provide the best of Avalar's Archery skill to the floundering melee armies.

Or Badger-like creatures call the Bergata, slightly shorter than Cheetah or Dingo's, but built for the fight they'd been thrown in the last few generations, making the desert their home, and this Great City their capital as citizens beneath the dragons.

All of them side-by-side holding the seeping walls. No more than one or two ladders up at a time given the size of the enemy force which was staggering! But the city... it burned under the artillery. People below screaming, running for their lives as small sections of their homes were invaded or quelled. The entire lower district was a swarm with either their guardians... or the minions of the Dark Master.

Apes.

Mostly the smallest form of these ancestors-forsaken beasts managed to get inside, but when they did... armed with swords, daggers, or bows? They could create a big enough threat. But it was the medium sized ones that formed the main infantry. Jumping around, or just charging down open streets, howling, and barking madness. They threw burning torches through windows, letting the infrastructure light ablaze, and soar into the open night sky, shielding the stars and forming a glowing, black carpet of terror.

Wherever the catapult munitions hit... pray there was no one beneath it. Carts were overturned, and corpses of good and evil littered the streets where the hardest fighting broke out. Otherwise there was still the clash of weaponry.

"HAAAHWOO!", one of the greatest apes bellowed, the largest forms of them. Hammer-wielding beasts, cracking their violent weapons upon those smaller than they themselves, leading the lesser fodder to victory by sheer overwhelming force.

As the fires traveled up to even the second set of walls, citizens, and even dragons alike poured into them for safety... unlikely the enemy could reach this far, but the lower district was lost all together. Though the outer walls were not taken, and allies held them firm it was the holes, or breaches in the weakest areas where plenty of apes could get in and form a considerable strike-force.

There had to be at least three hundred inside the city alone. Terrorizing, and butchering as they saw fit. And there was easily a thousand more well on the way. Some could even spot the intruding soldier from key points atop the highest towers.

Good news; "Aireos!", cried a harsh female voice, as dragoness, dark red in color, wicked in appearance, and cut to blazes landed before him, her black wings folding tightly.

An old white dragon, older than even Ignitus stood before the inner gatehouse, watching the crisis below with worrisome eyes. He didn't expect to hear that voice, "Delybis? You've come! So soon.", he could have hugged her, but that was more likely to anger her. But she could see the joy in his weary eyes... Aireos was the acting Wind Guardian, and the highest power in the city itself, "Scorpio burns!... Tell me you don't return alone..."

"No!", she latched to the outer walls. With spikes running down her back, and hard neck frills, and terrifying red eyes... she was a Fear dragon. And the Guardian of such element, "Aquarus leads his army from the North, it will strike the enemy's left flank even now!", she lifted her head, smirking hard into the distance, "Even now I can see the apes in route!"

Anyone could hear, and even see through the black smoke and over the walls as a larger army ran head-on into the enemy's right Northern Flank; As the entrance to the city faced North-East. The number of the new army was enough to completely overwhelm the apes, despite their enemy's numbers... the surprise charge was too much for them, and already they'd begun to break away from the city walls. All those whoops, and howls of blood turned to cries of retreat.

"Then Scorpio should live to fight another day.", Aireos boasted, standing tall, and puffing out his strong, broad chest, "Very very well done, Delybis.", he exhaled very roughly, and chuckled... but it became a sad sigh, "So much death.. All the same."

"There is always consequence, but now we must relish the victory!", the fear guardian pressed her claws upon his shoulder, before looking to their now cheering soldiers along the inner-secondary walls, "Hahaa!", she moved away, crying out with them.

Aireos was indeed happy... that the city, and it's people had been spared as a whole, but it was those who had been lost which clamored around in his heart. He hated it, all of it... how the night sky glowed red on some nights; Whether off in the distance somewhere, or like it was now... right at home. He leaned his head out across the entire city, seeing where the last of the apes were being weeded out, and either exterminated, or taken prisoner, and to be tried... or released based on Scorpio's mercy system. After all it was the Guardians, and the council together that decided their fates... it would likely end in unanimous clutter of opinions... some erratic, others violent, and a few merciful ones.

The times were harsh on all, "Quickly... Someone get a team together and put out those fires!", the Wind guardian ordered, turning around. He wished to retire for the night... too exhausted to see this through til morning, his weary eyes began to close and a yawn crossed his maw. Something stopped him however, amidst all the cries of victory, and recovery.

It prompted him enough to look back, "Mm?", he looked at Delybis... she didn't look like she'd noticed. What was this feeling? The elder dragon returned to the edge of the walls, looking down to the burning streets below, "... What?...", at first he did not understand, but it was the sight of several apes; running through the fires, and scampering for safety... toward the breaches in the outer wall.

They were carrying something... something small, the largest of them. The white dragon's eyes could just make it out, before his curled frills stood on end, and he then leaped hard off the balcony!

"Aireos!?", Delybis called out, stopping at the edge to watch him swoop down. Her and a few others stood, not following, "What's gotten into him?"

It couldn't be! No, the apes would never, "No!", the Wind dragon pried his maw open, slathering the steady burn around the group below, clearing the ground so that he may land between them, "How _dare_ you!", he accused, snarling at them, mostly at the largest ape, wielding the short-ax, and clothed in iron armor, "You had my mercy! Now you will regret this!"

The largest ape bared it's fangs, and raised his ax, "HAAHWOO! You not very smart! Old dragon! We outnumber you! You die... NOW!", he pointed the blade. In his left arm, tucked against his leather armor was something that would enrage any righteous dragon.

It was an egg. A small red egg... Scarlet to be more exact, even in the glow of the fires around them it was fairly easy to determine it's color. It must have been abandoned in the attack, or stolen from it's place in it's home. Whether it was Aireos' son did not matter even... he would defend the small egg with his life, "Disgusting monsters!", he growled, as the small apes charged him. With a simple flare of his wings, a violent gust of wind would take them off the ground, and into the air, shrieking and screaming in fright, parting them from the battle, and into the horrible flames to seal their timely fates.

Leaving the large ape alone. Admittedly? He was harshly intimidated, "Rrrr!", it growled, "Whether not you win. I destroy egg! I go free and egg will be yours.", he held his crude weapon to the small item... the hatchling's life was at stake.

"Give me that egg.", the wind guardian warned him, "Or you suffer a fate worse than death!", showing his horrible fangs.

"HAAHHWOOO!", he beat his chest, lifting the small thing into the air, threatening to smash it, but just as he could swing down did a streak of blue soar over him. Snatching it out of it's grubby paws, and turning over the next few buildings, "What?! Ahh!", it was suddenly less ballsy, looking to the ancient before, "Wait!", he stepped back.

Aireos did not have the most devastating attacks, but he was potent in his own way. Approaching now with warning eyes.

"No! Stay back!", the creature pleaded, "AARGGHH!"

That blue dragon landed up atop the second wall section, egg in his paw, He had a body to match the very element he was founded upon. Water. With swirling, blue fins, rising out of his cheeks and down his tail, a soft white underbelly and wings. Aquarus looked it over for damage... his ocean blue eyes closing, and he let out a hard sigh of relief, "Praise the ancestors youngling.", he was young, possibly the youngest of all the guardians... a lot on his paws that came with such a job. What was he doing in the desert?

The egg did little to answer him, it was nearing it's hatchday, but it was not active just yet, "I wonder where your parents are..."

"Aquarus.", Aerios greeted, landing with nimble, old claws, "Is it alright?"

"Clear as underwater currents, my friend.", he turned, holding it up to him. The ancient white dragon gently took it from his claws, "Notify all. You must find the mother, or the father. I will take it safety for now.", he had the right idea, spreading his grand wings, "What evils they planned for the child...", he mumbled.

"I shall. And Aerios!", the water dragon raised his glorious wing in happiness, "Scorpio lives another day!"

"Praise the ancestors.", the master replied, chuckling very gently, and nodded before he created a gust of wind, and soared over the second wall of the city.

Scorpio... the Desert city of Avalar. Perhaps the second or third largest city in all the realm next to Warfang. Not built for the dragons, but build by all including Dragons. Built around that massive butte formation, the dragon actually flew so high he swooped over the coliseum at it's, before diving, and gliding down, under a bridge between two towers... before soaring out over a majestic city of the sand. With occult building designs and incredible use of columns and archways, not to mention dragonic elements, Armadillo(Dwarven-esque), and even dense ghetto-like areas. While the sky was dark with fiery smoke... it would have been far more special if it was the beautiful, star-gazing sky on most nights.

Only one portion of the city had been invaded... it would have been impossible to muster every soul into the second layer of defenses in so little time.

And besides... the entire area was clear of fire. In fact it looked rather peaceful save for the part some worrisome souls popped out to gaze upon the fires coming from the other areas. Others would hold their personal weapons in their arms just in case... some would barricade their homes. The war did not take kind tolls on the mentality of weary citizens. But at least they would be safe. All Aerios had to do was find what he was looking for.

He'd been there so many times, soaring down into the lower distract, just up against the second inner wall. The elevation between the second level and first level of the city here was a tad odd... one had to take a large highway-wide ramp to get to the gatehouse of the second defenses. Tucked in the corner of a large lookout tower, which much space was a Cathedral. It was so old, and near rundown. And it should have been. It had survived eight generations... one of the last buildings at the time the city was constructed. Made almost entirely of solid stone, or granite. The wind guardian swooped in, landing at the front gate where he was greeted by a frail old female.

She was older than he, deep blue, wrinkled scales, and tender reading glasses. Her body beyond any hope of flight, even running for that matter, "Aerios... Come to see me on such a night?...", she didn't act very surprised to see him... other than her concern. Was the city lost? Was he here to tell her to leave and take what she could with her. But her old eyes looked down upon the egg, "Ohhh... Oh dear..."

"Not an orphan yet. We are searching for the parents. But I trusted you would be the best to take care of it until then...", he bowed his head very gently, giving the egg to her possession, "Saved it from a terrible fate."

"'He'... Aerios."

"What?"

"The egg is a male. Just in case you were wondering...", she held it very gently in her wing, cradling it ever so lovingly as though she were the mother.

It would always alarm him how keen she was to determine such a quality. But she was always correct on the gender. Therefore he had little right to call her out on it. He bowed his head, "Forgive me, Cerana.", calling her by her name.

"Come in.", she welcomed, turning, the old double doors opening at the whisk of her free wing... it was very spacious inside. With a tall ceiling, chandeliers from a hundred years ago, marks where rose of stone benches used to be, replaced with tables and even bed areas. There were so many separate rooms that came with it. It truly was a marvelous place, "We shall take it to the infirmary..."

And that they did, setting the egg gently upon one of many stone displays. Snugging it in the warm nest on top. Above a glowing red crystal, shining it's grand orange, yellow, and red lights upon all the eggs present, "I understand it is very close to hatching...", Aerios inquired, staring down at it. Sadly he gazed out over the other eggs... all colors and sizes, "There are so many..."

"It is such a shame... when their beloved parents to not return...", the elder dragoness let her head down very softly, closing her eyes, a tear rolling down, "I pray this one is so very lucky..."

"Aerios.", a new voice inquired, catching the guardian's attention, pulling his eyes away from the dreadful sight.

"You bring news?"

"Yes...", it was a cheetah. A female. Young and full of controlled spirit as she bowed respectfully, "The ape army is in full route.", but that was only the good news, "However... with General Babbit on the run... I believe Gual has mobilized two new generals in his place... We do not yet know their strategy. Only that their armies together at first light number possibly fifty thousand. With many commanders to lead many divided forces..."

"I see...", Aerios had hoped for news regarding the egg. But this was just as urgent, "We shall recall our own forces back to Scorpio... Inform Delybis. Send word to all our armies within one hundred miles of the city. We must be prepared.", he bowed his head.

And the girl would have left, bowing to him, her archery set strapped tight to her back, "Yes, Guardian.", but just before she took her leave, she stopped, yet again showing her respect as another dragon entered.

Aquarus once more.

"Ah.", the wind dragon lightened as he saw him enter... but the dreadful look on his usually kind face told him otherwise than to be happy, "Aquas... What is it?"

"The egg. Aerios...", he shook his head.

"Please Aquarus... You know I do not appreciate dramatic pauses...", a lump formed in the elder's throat, his brows furrowing, before his eyes closed. Here it comes...

"The egg... It did not take long...", the water dragon sighed, "The mother died months ago... shortly after giving birth to it.", like Aerios, Aquarus had a lump form in his own throat as well, "The father died not long ago... It has been orphaned at home for a week...", and they knew nothing of it...

Cerana gasped, and covered her maw with a wing, "It was left alone for so long?...", she'd heard so many tales of how eggs became orphans... she was a veteran of the trade. But that did not stop her sensitive heart from breaking. Tears welled in her kind old eyes, "Oh my...", she looked away, and down to the scarlet shell, stepping toward it, "The poor thing...", but she was relieved it was still alive.

"He has no family?", Aerios asked softly.

But the ocean blue dragon shook his head, his fins folding in like ears on a sad dog, "I'm afraid not, Aerios... No relatives that anyone knew of...", it was truly a sad moment. To know the hatchling would never have a real, blood parent... to be deprived, "Cerana...", the water dragon greeted in a kind voice, looking at his claws. As if he asked her. Along with Aerios' stare.

"Yes...", the female whispered in response, "There is always room... Here... with me...", she gave the shell a nuzzle, feeling the vibrations of a beating heart inside, nearly ready to hatch, "No hatchling will ever be deprived of life... not on my life...", her voice was watery, as were her tearing eyes. So many times had her heart succumb to these gruesome stories and conditions. It made the urge to love and care impossible to resist.

"Then... it is done...", Aerios stepped forward, while she stepped away, raising his claws, and gently clasping them down atop the egg, feeling the life inside, "The egg will remain here. In your trusted care... like all the others.", he bowed his head, closing his saddened eyes.

"I'm sorry, Guardian...", Aquarus stepped back, bowing respectfully. It was time for them to take their leave. No further reason to stay unless they wished to mourn. But these dragons did not have the time.

"Come... we must go.", was all Aerios said, wishfully bowing his head as well, "Good luck, Cerana...", the two leaving out the front while the elder female waved them off with her wing. Cerana's look shifted upon the new egg. She would always have her paws full... as she ran this grand orphanage... the only real orphanage in Scorpio.

As she looked upon the future dragon inside that defenseless egg, she lowered her snout, and gave it the most loving of kisses, "Sleep tight... little one...", turning, looking up to the red crystal giving incubated life to all the eggs inside, "All... my little ones.", at the slightest gesture of her wings, the light dimmed for the night... and she closed the large set of doors.

Leaving that egg alone with all the other lonely, parent-less eggs. There were so many, more than a dozen in such a cozy room. That egg... what wonders any of them could hold... but that egg, the newest of them all.

The shell cracked.

Followed by a quiet squeak for assistance...

_**End of Prologue**_

_Please Read and Review._


	2. ACT I: Born and Raised

_**ACT I**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Upbringing**_

Any morning in the desert was a rising one. The heat built on rather fast at whatever elevation the sun was in, and it took only about an hour for all the cooled sand to turn blazing hot once more. Most homes however... always had some kind of deterrence from the heat. A particularly favorite choice of the masses was a crystal that produced a mild wave of cool air. Not very cheap but affordable and desirable, as they recharged via solar power and gave off an icy touch... this cooled down the interiors of most homes in Scorpio.

And the old Cathedral was no exception. Only difference was it had four separate crystals all to itself, due to it's incredible size and number of rooms. It was a space to behold this old, strange dragonic church... which long ago worshiped a far different religion. Or perhaps it was a minority belief and just so happened to give rise to what once was... a beautiful structure. Now in ruins it was a giant L-shapes building. The gravestones had been removed long ago, leaving an open yard of stone and dirt. A few plants did make this place home, either desert vines or some tough durable green-leafed bushes. The stone was cracked, and some of the shingles worn away... even the steeple was beginning to come apart.

Still it's interior was vast; and in comparison? Very serene. Polished floors with solid stone walls and old chandeliers. But the one quality that stood out; at least a Cathedral normally would not possess... There were flocks of young dragons running about, hollering and playing, racing down hallways or lazily sprawled around the open rooms, sleeping, eating, etc.

Most of them were three of the four main elements if not all. Fire, Electricity, and Earth. Not many of them over the age of ten or eleven. And the majority were younger than five, scampering on soft baby paws, tiny claws clicking and skidding loudly, tails whipping about through the giggles and coes of the youngest hatchlings.

At the very last of the bunk rooms down the longest hallways, furthest from the main chamber of the Cathedral however; was a chamber packed with aging bunk-beds built into the walls and covered with anything anyone would offer; pillows, blankets, rags, carpeting, cotton, even some mirrors with damaged wood frames.

There was one bunk third before last on the left wall that was still occupied. A sleeping dragon, perhaps... nine years of age by the looks of it. With wings not much bigger than his head(Which was fairly large given the anatomy of young dragons) and thick paws, a twisted tail, and red frills on a bright orangy-scarlet body. He had tiny blades on his wings and one curved blade, grown out from his tail that he had so comfortably wrapped around his right leg. Laying on his right side facing the wall. And by the Ancestors did the little thing snore.

It had to be at least noon judging by how high the sun had gone up since dawn. And yet he persisted on sleeping like so, while all others were out and about. No matter.

Two sets of horns, about his size actually. Nonchalantly waddling through the doorway, so short their horns barely exceeded the height of the ground-floor bunks. One baby blue dragon... or should I say dragoness; female, with bright yellow horns that curved back down her neck, dark blue freckles running along her body and rump, and her tail ending in a five-pronged fan of straight, sharp, metal-like rods. She was nothing special as far as her looks went, but she had the the fiercest yellow eyes to match her horns and wings, as well as her darker yellow underbelly. But she was not an ice dragon-despite her coloring-in fact this female was an electric dragon. Katirin, but most called her "Kat" for short. Slender as expected for a girl her age.

The second was a stumpy looking earth dragon, token color for his kind; a thick forest green, studs of olive along his back and tail, tan brown belly and red frills across his thick, broad cheeks, hazel eyes, and curled goat horns. His wings were thick and rather short, with brown membrane, though unlike Terrador; this particular male had a spiked hammer at the end of his tail, double sided meant for level swings. He was-as most earth dragons were- rather weighty, thick, and muscled... proper, if not under the expected standard by some condition given his occupancy in the orphanage. Bismuth was his name... none could really come UP with a nickname for him.

Two of the three born under this same roof. The only exception was Katirin, who had been given to the orphanage at a very young age after her father's untimely demise at the hands of traitorous work-hands... not a warrior, but in fact a trader who both smuggled, and dealt for all sides of the war. Scum in terms of most, helping both Dragons and Apes. Some might say it was a fitting end to have a hammer clubbed to the back of his head... but unfair to the poor daughter who called him "Daddy". Luckily her family's fate was soon forgotten merely days after she was placed here.

Bismuth's tale was much like any other who's egg had hatched in this cathedral... orphaned by the casualties of war, unable to read the fate of any family-if he had any left alive. He was only a year older than the female at his plucky side, as they neared the sleeping fire dragon.

You might say the Earth dragon should have done the dirty work. But no, in fact it was the electric female to who the job. Both of them climbing up to the second bunk, and looking over the edges, exchanging glances before she hopped up into the bed. It seemed as though she was disgusted with the sleeping male dragon... but at the same time evil, and sinister.

The girl ruthlessly placed both her paws on the drake's shoulders, before shouting, "Seere, wake UP!", and then violently shaking him in order to jolt him back to conscientiousness.

And boy did the fire dragon scream, "Ah-Ah-Ah-AH!", tongue rolling out as she actually choked him at one point, eyes wide and he even struggled a bit, "ACK! I'm awake! I'm awake!", he cried through his asphyxiation, "Too Tight!", while he very well could have survived, Katirin did release the male.

"You're so lazy!", she whined with a hard, unimpressed glare.

Bismuth, who all the while remained leaning across the edge of the top bunk gave a hard snort and a laugh, "So you _choke_ him, right?"

"Uh huh!", it seemed Kat, while small and cute possessed one of the hottest egos in all the orphanage. Not many matched her fiery attitude and stubborn ways, threatening to smack Bismuth off the side of the bed by getting in his face about it, "He needs to wake up earlier! We can't always just guard his breakfast from other guys!"

Seere all the while coughed loudly, and sat up, sniffling and rubbing his eyes, giving a hard, morning-ridden sneeze, "OW!", and rubbing his paw across the mark she left on his neck, "I'm sorry okay? I just had the best dream!", he flopped forward, wings raising and his tail wagging a bit, "I was some kinda amazing Dragon Lord! And you two were my servants!-"

"Stop right there!", the female butted in, pushing her paw into his snout and shutting him up forthwith, "If ANYONE's a Dragon Lord! It'd be ME! Just cuz I'm smarter! And I wouldn't be a Lord! I'd be a _Queen_!", but her-in male terms-_GIRLY_ way of putting it got an eye roll out of both her year-older friends, "And _you_ two would be my servants!"

"Says who?", Seere asked, cocking a hard brow, and grinning a bit.

"Says me! Cuz I'd be the queen!", before giving him a hard shove.

"Whoa! Wait!", the male tried scrambling for his blankets but unfortunately, they were not as secure as he had hoped. The moment he got a hold of them in his tight claws, did they fly backwards with him, and off the top bunk, landing a loud "OWW!", the moment he hit the carpeted hardwood floor. Covered in his blankets Seere whined, and rolled around in hopes of getting free, and within a few moments of struggling he popped his head out from underneath the blankets, "I missed breakfast?!", he cried out, before looking down at the sheets, hearing his belly grumble.

"Pfft! No! We hid it so no one would eat it instead.", Kat rolled her eyes, shrugged, and spread her equally small wings, leaping out of her bed and trying to glide to the ground, hitting her rump first and grunting, narrowing her eyes at Bismuth who climbed down instead, landing beside her.

Yes this was our trio... Seere, Katirin, and Bismuth. Fire, Electricity, and Earth. All they needed was an Ice dragon and they might have a complete set of elements.

"Sweet!", Seere hopped out of his mangled blankets, scrambling to his paws, "Where'd you hide it?"

It was that particular question however, which caused the young dragoness to quiet down. She began to ponder, rubbing her head, and flapping her small wings, "Uhm... I don't know. Bismuth hid it!"

"What? Nuh Uh!", he protested, falling onto his behind when the female glared him in the eyes, "I did just as you said and made sure nobody saw where you put it!"

"Bismuuuutth!", she hissed, complaining and groaning, laying on her belly, and resting her head in her paws with a stubborn grumble, "You're so stupid sometimes!"

"So... I don't get breakfast?", Seere inquired, scratching his forehead and staring at his two companions with confused eyes, "Awww!", before he himself plopped onto his rear. Well at least Lunch was coming shortly, maybe some salted meats and water would smite his growing hunger. After all in an orphanage it wasn't fatal; but it wasn't all that smart to miss a meal.

"Ohhh stop whiniiing!", she stood, and flapped her hard wings, "Lets get out of here! This rooms way too cold!", despite living in the blazing desert, almost any building in this city who housed someone with sense possessed a frost crystal. An ice blue gem forged with the artificial power to create a cool environment. And when the young dragons slept, a lower temperature was chosen because it put their cold-blooded bodies to sleep much faster. And this room unless you were out and about was one of the coolest, kept at a righteous sixty degrees during the day, and forty-five at night. To most creatures that called Scorpio their home, a mere fifty degrees was considered freezing!

The three hustled on out, turning the corner and down the hallway, laughing, and actually racing. Seere as their esteemed leader despite Kat's nasty persistence to refuse to even be considered beneath him. But generally he held the trio together. Shoving and racing his way to the top. Bismuth was far to modest, and Katirin was... well she was female! No way was he going to let a girl surpass him; common male logic.

They blended right in with all the others save for being some of the oldest orphans in the cathedral. Seere, Kat, and Bismuth were actually part of a larger group of young dragons, perhaps fifteen total, each of whom practically dominated all the numerous others. In fact there was probably somewhere around fifty parent-less drakes in the building as a whole. The oldest ruled the roost for obvious reasons, but that didn't mean they all got along with one another, in fact almost like a cliché highschool; they had cliques.

Small groups of dragons divided by perhaps their will to believe they were better than others, simply enjoying having the highest say out of all the other hatchlings. Some loners who shied away. Others who simply wanted to have a carefree life. And the the few who formed their own groups for numerous reasons; one being that they didn't want to be part of another. It's just how kids worked sometimes.

Seere and his trio? Perhaps one of the longer parties. They weren't the meanest, nor were they the biggest. But did they let their lack of numbers hold them back? No. With Kat's ferocity, and perhaps Bismuth's significant size, not to mention Seere's more than friendly leadership, coupled with an ambitious desire to be top dog when it all pooled into one simple name-tag... they were a force to reckon with! At least they liked to think so.

It all came down to an actual face off, which happened just about as often as they normally would between rivals. And just about any adolescent had a rival, right? In an orphanage? Fifty or so children? It was bound to happen.

The moment Seere went prowling around a few closet doors, his friends in tow they seemed to grow cautious. A certain group tended to chill around these parts. A group they seldom wanted to encounter... not out of fear, just because... well... they were jerks to place it simply. And poking around on their "Territory" was practically asking for a rough-housing confrontation. When he gently peeled a small closet open, Katirin called out to him.

"Seere~! If they catch us we're doomed~!", in a hissing whisper... it seemed even Kat was repulsed by how ridiculous this conflict could become.

Bismuth was keeping watch, a few feet ahead of the two, one of his paws being nibbled in his teeth, eyes wide as he looked both ways, hoping they wouldn't be spotted. He, despite his heritage as a powerful earth dragon... actually shook, and mumbled to himself, "Maybe we should go guys? I don't think Kat hid the plate in there, Seere... Please?"

"Well we only have so many closets left to check!", the young fire dragon's rear was all that showed, the rest of him fishing around on the shelves, and around the cleaning supplies, "This is dumb!", he complained, when he popped his head back out a mop was strewn over his face, much like a wig full of dreadlocks. An irritated look in his eyes as he narrowed them at Kat, "Are you suuurrreee you don't remember?"

"Why would I bring it here?!", the blue dragoness suddenly retaliated, only for both Bismuth and Seere to burst toward her, and cover her mouth, "Mmm MM!", she complained, eyes looking both ways and crossed her forepaws with a stubborn, muffled groan. Nodding for them to let her go. She heaved and let out a gentle sneeze, rubbing her snout, "Well... could be worse."

"Hey! Guys check it out!", Seere hissed with a grin, looking out and smirking before he went back in, and dug around, "Looks like Fezzini's been holding out on us!", he didn't find his breakfast, but what he did find was something much better. A small sac full of marbles!

"Whooaaa!", Bismuth came plotting over, losing his nervous edge as Seere dumped the contents between the three.

"Marbles?", Kat asked, and rolled her eyes, "Boys are so stupid sometimes~", completely tasteless of the sparkly, patterned, and colorful objects. She was a rough kinda girl... but she wasn't that into certain things male's found fascinating.

"Aww that ones so cool!", Bismuth rolled onto his back, holding a crimson red marble, clouded with darker shades of red in between two claws, eying it very closely, "Where'd he get em?"

"Beats me~", Seere mumbled, happily poking them around with his claws, rolling them on the floor and just feeling their smooth, spherical texture. He much admired the touch of these kinda things, poking his sharp tongue out at all the different colors flooding his eye-sight. There were so many! Like twenty or so marbles that the so called "Fezzini" had collected.

"Pfft just wait til Fezz sees you! You both are really in for it then-", maybe she spoke to soon.

A herd of screaming hatchlings came charging through, ages four to seven, all chased by the bigger younglings, from the far end of the hallways, merely twenty meters away. And only one needed to spot the trio fishing around in that familiar closet room. The big group rushed on by, but most of them stopped when a broad brown-orange male halted in his place, and cried out in an angry tone, "Hey! Those are mine!"

The hatchlings that didn't stop immediately would merely end up coming back in a group.

Seere was frozen, as was Bismuth, and Kat had yet to turn around and face the bigger male behind her. They were all very small compared to adults... but for certain size really did matter.

"Seere! You're dead!", the male growled. Three other younglings about his very age came thrashing up from behind, while the rest of the kids gathered around, forming a thin circle of onlookers, keeping quiet.

"Hey Fezz! What's up?", yes, Seere was legitimately concerned, smiling toothily, and showing very clearly as he snatched the red marble from Bismuth, and began to put the spilled marbled back into the bag, "These are really really nice marbles!"

"Shut up, Stupid!", he snorted, bumping Kat forward, getting a yip out of the younger female as he sent her tumbling into her earth dragon friend, getting the two piled onto one another, "You're sooo dead!", he repeated just like before.

But Kat wouldn't have any of that shoving nonsense, scrambling to her paws and growling... which was rather cute, yet intimidating to anyone her size perhaps, getting in who appeared to be Fezzini, "Hey! Watch it, Jerk! I'll sock you one right here, right now!", she showed her teeth, chest to chest with him.

But the much meaner fire dragon, though at first fazed, frowning and even flushing... he wouldn't have any of that, growling and grinning, "Gee I didn't know Seere and Bismuth had their _Girlfriend_ do the talking!"

That just about did it. Both males cringed when Katirin whipped around, face red with either rage, or a flush, "Girlfriend?!", she scoffed, mouth agape as her pretty eyes burned with a powerful flame, stepping forward with a hard, hatchling's growl, "You wanna go Fezz?!", almost demanding he stick to his guns just so she had the opportunity to wail on him if given the chance.

"I don't hit little girls!", grinning madly back down at her, tempting the female to strike him then and there. Though in truth he didn't actually think she would, thus he flinched when Kat took a swing of her left paw.

Luckily, Seere was there to save the day, "Whoa! Guys! Cool it!", getting between them and pushing his paws against Katirin's chest, sliding her backwards along the ground as she tried to climb over him.

"Let me at 'em! I'll rip his stupid head off!"

Fezzini actually seemed relieved, smirking and showing his cockiness and brash attitude once again, "Boy you guys sure are dumb! She's probably got rabies or something, Cerana even says so!"

"You're a liar!", Kat screamed in her defense, fighting Seere to have a go at the offensive child, struggling, flailing her claws, "I don't have Rabies! Cerana would never say that!"

Bismuth burst forward, getting in the other orange-brown child's face, "Take that back, Fezz! You're just being a jerk!"

"Guuuys~ Maybe we should just calm down, else Cerana might show up!", but all the hatchlings around them wouldn't have it, they were peeled on watching this intently. Seere wasn't outgunned just yet, holding Kat down before he shoved her as well, glaring hard, and turning to face the other four.

Fezzini had his own friends at his side, him and two others bushing back against the earth dragon with hard glares of their own, "What are you gonna do about it, Bismuth? Cry to Cerana for help?", the male mocked, having a full year on the younger dragon.. while Bismuth was large-as most Earth dragons were-being younger still gave Fezzini the size advantage he needed, matching him if only a few inches taller than Bismuth himself.

"Yeah!", piped up one of the others, another earth elemental, aiming to back his rude ally, even down to scrapping with these three. They were all for a rumble...

"Fezz! Just take your stupid marbles and let it go!", Seere butted in, shoving the sac into his chest, and pushing him back as well, "Bismuth just ignore him! He's just lost his marbles.", both a means of ending on a joke, and perhaps a taunt as Seere pushed his friend backwards, "Let's get out of here before Cerana see's!"

"Hey!", Fezz had dropped the bag, trying to catch as they spilled all over the stone floor, "Seere, you little Punk!"

"I don't have rabies!", Katirin cried out as Bismuth and Seere put themselves between her and the others and began to guide her back, "I'm not gonna take that! I can take him!", she tried to climb over the two but they wouldn't have any of it.

"Lighten up, Katy. He's not worth it.", trying to talk sense into her, smiling with a mock grin... in actuality he felt pretty good about what he'd said to Fezz not moments ago, "Hehe... lost his marbles..."

Speak of the devils. Two, perhaps three struck the back of his head rather hard, whipped by Fezz in a fit of anger, the orange-brown adolescent growling, gritting his fangs, "I'm talking to you, Seere!"

"Ow!", the fire dragon plopped onto his belly, and held his paws on the back of his head, rubbing it hard, "Owww! That hurt!", he whined, shutting his eyes, and growling all the same.

"Seere, you okay?", Bismuth asked, before growling and puffing out his chest. He stepped between his friend and the attackers, "Watch it, Fezz! I'm gonna-"

"Gonna go cry to Cerana?!", they all teased simultaneously, putting the younger earth dragon in emotional retreat. Bismuth stepped back, trying to keep level, gritting his fangs and shutting his eyes.

"No! I won't!", Bismuth defended himself.

"Yeah! He'll whoop you all good!", Katirin spat. When you were raised in an orphanage you either grew up a spineless beggar, or a tough little lizard. And she wanted a piece of it, backing her earth friend up the moment Seere was too weak to step between them.

"Oooh! What ya gonna do Kat? Pull my horns and try and give me rabies?", Fezz mocked.

"Shut up!", she flared his small wings, puffing out her chest as well, "Put your marbles where your mouth is! If I sock you one good one I get ALL of em when I make you cry for you're mommy!", she didn't really think about what she'd said... Katirin knew very well any hatchling in this building didn't have parents. And just shouting that not only hurt Fezz... but it might have also upset Seere or Bismuth in the process. But lucky for her... friends were friends.

"Fine!", Seere suddenly rolled to his feet, turning, bumping between Katy and Bismuth, a bruise on the back of his head, "Are we gonna do this or not?!"

"_Yeah!"_

"_Grrrr!"_, all Seven of them growled, Fezz and his three compadres, and then the trio now taking up the mantle of war! The younger audience was squeaking and cheering on, most of them taking the side they thought would win... and being children they chose Fezz' group. More numbers meant they'd win! Right?

"Get em!", Fezzini shouted, and burst forward, paws extended, wings unfurled as he aimed to tackle someone.

But as they charged, so did the trio, "_Raaah_!", they all screamed, before they mashed into a head-on collision of tiny teeth, paws, and tail weapons, wrestling around, biting, nipping, and tugging. It wasn't much of a battle so much as it was just a dispute between toddlers.

And Seere was caught right out in the middle of it, getting pinned hard under one of Fezz' friends, before rolling, and kicking him off into another, "Haha-AH!", yanked back by Fezzini himself before the older dragon was attacked by Katirin.

"This'll teach you for saying I had rabies! Cerana Likes me better than you! Dumb male!", she got him on his back and tried to claw him down.

"Get him, Katy!", Seere encouraged with a laugh, before pausing, closing his mouth and looking up behind him. With Bismuth wrestling hard with another nearly his size... no one watched the other earth dragon, "Uhm...", he had a good five inches on Seere, "Hi!", he smiled, and rolled out of a stomp of forepaws.

The battle was epic! At least to them it was, given all the cheering of the younger drakes around them. But... to an adult?

"What is the meaning of this!?", the voice was aged, motherly if not upset and even aggravated. The mere sound of her voice stopped the fight dead in it's tracks. With Seere pinned, Kat on top of Fezzini, and Bismuth simply weighing down one of the others while a forth was trying to tug him off.

All seven of them had guilty expressions as they stared into the ever potent eyes of their care-taker. Cerana.

"They took my marble collection!"

"He said I had rabies!"

"They said I was wimpy!"

"Fezzini threw his marbles at me!"

In the midst of these complaints the elder dragoness closed her tired eyes, and remained quiet for the duration, until she let her wings open, "Alright alright... The rest of you...", meaning all the younger hatchlings, "Out out out... Go on. This does not concern any of you.", despite the numbers of Awes and whining she received.

Seere blinked, and then shoved the Earth Dragon off of him when he got the chance, rolling onto his bum and letting his head fall in submission to the much larger adult.

"Now now my little ones, that is enough out of you.", she craned her head to them all, "I'm afraid I only have so long before I must tend to the hatchery yet again...", two eggs had come in not many days ago, and as expected of her, and welcomed by her very soul... Cerana would not refuse the protection of them.

"But Cerana!", Seere butted in.

"No no... My little Seere I will not hear it. If you and you're friends cannot keep your snouts out of Fezzini's business then I will separate you accordingly...", she let her head down and touched her much bigger maws to the young drake's forehead, "You, Katy, and Bismuth will spend the rest of the day outside... away from Fezzini and his friends."

"But! It's summertime! And it's so hot out there!", Katirin complained.

"Shhhh!", Both Seere and Bismuth elbowed her... if they got to go outside then they could sneak out!

It took a moment to register, before she piped up, and nodded, "Oohhhh."

"Haha!", Fezzini mocked however, grinning as he knew both he and his pals would be rewarded indirectly with the much cooler interior of the Cathedral.

"Fezzini!", Cerana turned her head to him, knowing that despite the fight being each and every one of their faults combined... he likely had something more to do with it, "You and your friends will stay here. Clean up your toys and behave yourselves...", getting the nods she expected.

"They're not toys~...", he grumbled though, flushing as he felt he was above the childish word "toy".

She stepped between the two gangs, having the break apart, "And I expect all of your to return by dinnertime... Seere your breakfast is by the front door take it on your way out.", her regal nature was admirable, nodding to the young fire dragon, and nudging the three out. She kissed the bruise on the back of Seere's head, though it was hardly noticed.

"Yes!", he pumped his paw, a prance in his step as he happily strode alongside his friends.

Katirin rolled her yellow eyes, shaking her head, "Males...", but she wheeled around and looked up at her elder, "Cerana? I don't have rabies do I?...", widening her eyes with the softest of whimpers... god it was almost too much for the inexperienced caretaker.

The old female looked down at her, tilting her head, and smiling with a light chuckle, nuzzling her off, "Of course not, dear... now off you go. Don't keep them waiting..."

"I told you so!", she suddenly stuck her sharp tongue out as Fezz retreated out of sight, "Stupid head.", she smiled, shutting her eyes and whipping around, trotting after Seere and Bismuth.

"Happy?", Seere asked.

"Hmhm! Very.", she smiled, like him there was a prance in her walk.

They looked at Bismuth, who followed with a soft expression, staring at the ground as he kept at their pace.

"Hey, come on don't listen to them. You showed em up when you pinned that dumb electric dragon on the ground!", Seere cheered him on, smiling nice and toothily, tail wagging even as they scuttled down the long stone hallways. Either bare or carpeted before entering the main chamber. The tallest ceilings in the building

"Yeah! Electric dragons are so wimpy!", Kat laughed, trotting at his side, before stopping and clearing her throat, "I mean... well not ALL cuz... I'm pretty strong and-Oh shuddup!", she growled, and hastened after.

Bismuth laughed very gently, "Yeah!... Mmm...", he looked at his paws, smiling, his tail starting to wag a tad, "You're right. Hey come on I think I smell crisped salmon!", the moment they were all at the front door, leaping up, and pulling the handle down, and opening the large double doors with a loud, creaking moan... just a crack so they could slip out. Bismuth rushed down the path with a content giggle... rushing down the path and out to the road.

"Wait! There's always fish in the market place~", Seere's eyes lowered out, and a smile grew on his face, before rushing out.

"We're not even near the-!", Kat yipped, and darted after them, "Don't leave me behind! Why do we always get Crisped Salmon?!", she almost cried as she charged to catch up. The trio losing themselves to the density of the lower district of the great Desert City.

"Seere wait up!"

"Only if Bismuth slows down!" the fire dragon laughed, moving through the alertive, active crowd, under the blazing dun the citizens provided excellent shade... otherwise the hatchling had to run... their paws would burn if they stood on the cobblestone too long.

_**Transition~**_

"The flight returns!", someone shouted, as claws pointed to the air, and creatures began to cheer, dropping their usually daily business as the outer walls were swooped over with a number of... dragons. Perhaps two dozen of them, returning from battle in the far off regions. Some wounded, other's bearing new scars, and some waving back... either out of spite, or to project a positive feeling.

"Whoa! Come on guys! Come on!", Seere squeaked, rushing to the edge of the edge of the wall. Him and his friend were on the middle-class district; behind the second layer of walls, squeezing through the crowd's feet and hopping up onto the balcony railing, his tiny wings spread, a smile on his face... full of wonder.

"Seere, what's the big idea?!", Kat demanded, squeezing up next to him, and then finding herself in awe as a dark green dragon swooped a few meters overhead them, making her fall back into Bismuth... with which they both popped back up at Seere's side.

"Whoaaa! Look at em!", Bismuth let his jaw agape, turning to his friend... who was far more entranced than he himself, "The warrior dragons...", he mumbled, before chirping as another adult passed overhead.

"So what?", Katirin asked, pouting, resting her head on a paw, and just blandly watching, though her tail wagged as an electric dragon shot overhead as well... okay so it wasn't all bad. Her element got just as much praise as any other's, "Just a bunch of dumb soldiers...", though she kept up her tough-to-please act.

"Yeah...", Seere whispered, resting his head on his paws, smiling just a bit, his eyes wide and glimmering with wonder, "Ever wondered what it would be like to fight... just like them?... To beat up apes just cuz we were sposed to?..."

"... That does sound kinda fun...", Bismuth admitted, and grinned a bit, "We'd be the strongest of them all!"

"As if! I'd be the fastest, Strongest... and the prettiest of course!", Katy puffed out her chest, her eyes lowering as she extended her front paw, and retracted her other to give a rather... perhaps seductive pose? Before murring with delight, "They'd all fear me!", she pounded her paw on the granite railing.

But their fire dragon friend had quieted, tilting his head, and watching as the last few passed overhead... a Fire dragon adult, who spat a bout of flames into the air, and regained altitude as they returned to the huge spires at the center of the city... going to the very top of the sky it seemed... where they would enter the huge towers that stood nearly as tall as the butte the city was constructed around... thousands of feet high, "... Wow...", he breathed.

To be a warrior? To just be able to fly? And breath fire? That was like a child's only dream when all he had were stories to build an imagination off of.

"I'm gonna be just like that one.", he smiled brightly, closing his eyes and suddenly hacking upward, trying to spit a blast of fire just like the adult had done... but to no avail.

"Haha!", Katirin mocked, and poked her friend hard in the chest, "Can't be a soldier if you can't even spit fire!", while it sounded mean... she did have a point. At least Seere figured she did, pouting, and groaning as they both looked to Bismuth... who had a small fish in his teeth.

"... Whrat?", he asked, chewing it and speaking at the same time, "Ish good!", smiling through his food, wagging his thick tail, and flaring his wings.

"Hehe...", Seere smirked, and hopped down, amidst the cheering, and now dispersing crowds, "Come on guys! Let's go find something to do before Cerana sends the night watch after us again!"

"Haha! Yeah!", Kat whooped... now that sounded fun! They usually liked to think of it as a game of tag when they actually were found. As if there was no dark wars... and that every night fire rose into the sky and they huddled down in the safety of the Cathedral underground was all just an act... Scorpio was never close to being taken in the first place... no army had ever breached it's multiple walls...

Life was good! For the hatchlings.

* * *

**End Chapter two. Giving a rather broad view of life to the youngest during the Dark Wars. Mind you this is a little while before Cynder even, so things haven't quite gotten bad just yet. Seere, Katirin, and Bismuth are growing up very soon.**

**And in the next chapter? Well we'll just have to see how that works out. Might not be as long, or just as IDK. Charming length in my opinion... six thousand words ish.**

**Please R&R**


	3. ACT I: First of Flame

_**ACT I**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**First of Flame.**_

The war had been rampant these** last three years. **The hostile land scourged with hostile life... life in the form of the apes and their mercenary armies. Forces poured into the endless arid landscape like water flows down mountains; in the thousands. One by one snatching either weak or totally unoccupied regions that made the cruel sand hospitable. Wielding the soul of the land's oasis' and blockading all the drinking water they could find... drying out whole herds of beasts, and burning any form of civilization around them.

The Scorpion frontier was a mess of blood; fighting rose and fell drastically based on where the land was worth fighting for. Every day, a skirmish... once a week, a battle. During the day was the proper time to attack; when the ape armies could not bare the insatiable heat and were forced to rid of their heaviest armor... while at night they could do their worst damage, when the sand cooled and their aerial beasts could take off without overheating and passing out mid-flight. This was why most sieges were so desperate... if they could be in the city by daybreak they would have the chance to deal far more damage than if they could not, and then were greeted with the most blazing heat.

Water was an essential, and it was why so many grand Oasis were taken from the lands closest to the mountain ranges that separated Scorpio from Warfang-about a distance of 2600 miles-city gate, to city gate. It could take months in bad condition to reach the forests of Avalar, let alone traverse the mountains at their most primed hostility. Winds could break wood at the most exposed elevations, and dishevel an entire expedition in mere minutes. Dragons were the only real creatures able to pass over the lands(unless in force) without any real danger.

An impressive collection of barriers in which the ape armies gladly used to keep both allies from bringing assistance to one another by merely fortifying the access points in palisades, and bunkers carved from the dirt and rock(However it was unlikely that any army of good reached-nor wanted to reach this destination. There was far too much fighting going on too close to home to consider leaving.) This gave the enemy it's own weakness however. Hundreds of miles of granite to stake out and select key positions... a task which would distract a sizable(yet generally unnoticed) portion of apes out of the fighting until it was completed one year earlier.

With all the fighting in both Warfang, and Scorpio occurring at a sporadic rate it allowed entire armies to march into both lands almost completely without threat of attack. It gave Malefor's evil forces an incredible leniency, and huge amount of mobility. And with entire squadrons of the bat-like Dreadwings, the eyes in the skies always pointed out a possible threat and then maneuver around it.

The battles had become plenty more violent in recent time, sending dragons and allied creatures alike to their untimely grave. Not to mention scores of ape down with them. It had only reached Scorpio walls three or four times since...

And today was the end of the very last. Possibly one of the worst in the war's history. It had become so perilous that most of the city's lower grounds had retreated into the old catacombs beneath, as it too risky to reach the secondary walls without running into the onslaught of the enemy army. With countless dragons, armadillo, gryphons, etc hiding beneath the floors of the countless buildings that made up the poorest portion of Scorpio. It had been perhaps a day since the siege itself had ended... resulting in a large clean-up operation of the good forces who'd proclaimed victory. Keeping the eyes of the young, or defenseless from the horrors that had plagued the land both inside and out.

Within twenty-four hours most of the streets had been cleaned, and the exterior of the city swept out. The oasis grew at twice the speed of any forest in a temperate climate. Why was never explained, perhaps a miracle of nature that had served the city well for the last few hundred years. Ten miles of tropical brush and farmland extending in every angle. Farmland that... no matter how destroyed it became... always seemed to spare enough to last til another harvest was ready.

Much of the area's outside the city were pretty much cleaned out... very few things other than crushed or abandoned catapults, ammunition, makeshift tents and trenches(which were always swiftly filled in), not to mention fire and smoke here and there. The tropical trees never burned longer than a few minutes before their lush, well watered bodies simply refused to burn. Dozens of dragons, and hundreds of soldiers like Bergata and Dingo; creatures that could stomach taking the dead apes away to be given burial miles out... that or burned. The land had to be cleaned... there was no choice.

In more than ten years it had become a regular task during sieges; Fight, Cheer, Clean House.

In the last three years alone, a siege was essentially terrifying until it was over... then it became the butt of every soldier's joke. How not one ape ever made it over the second wall, and how the first wall always managed to retain the soldiers that were positioned atop it and suffer only mild casualties. Battles away from home were what they feared, not at Scorpio's front gate.

By midday almost half of the city's lower district residents had begun to resurface, clatter and droves of voices flooded the passageway exits to the underground, as hundreds, then thousands began to emerge. Dragons, Armadillo, Dingos, Bergata, Gryphon... the list of different races wasn't impressive, perhaps fifteen different types throughout most of the city... perhaps more, but not enough to count toward the overall population, leaving their species unrecognized, and statistically ignored.

However... some citizens managed to sneak out of the underground before the doors had even opened. And they'd been getting away with it the last two sieges as well. Tiptoeing about the city after the chaos was one thing... but to go outside the walls?!

In the thick, unburnt greenery beside one of the irrigated wheat farms, facing out toward one of the destroyed artillery pieces, there was a shuffle and snap of twigs.

"Ow!"

"Shhh! You're gonna get us caught~!", hissed a female voice.

A bright scarlet snout leaned forward through the leaves and sharp grasses, squinting out toward the long-doused wood. They were waiting as a last, big, burly Bergata picked up a pile of scrap wood, and carried it off, "Okay! Go go go!"

"Sweet~", Bismuth inquired as he rolled out of the bushes, flicking his dark hazel eyes left and right, and grinning nice and toothily.

"This is so dumb!", Katirin groaned, "We are so dead if we're caught~!"

"What are they gonna do?... Make us clean up the place? Ha! Fat chance of that!... What ya wanna bet we can outrun'em?" the final voice asked, as an orange paw set down outside the bush. Seere had grown considerably in the last three years. Long, taller, His wings growing out and sharpening more at their ends. An appearance in between Spyro's growth before, and after the time gap. In short: Seere had matured. Brimming with confidence as he joined his two compadres.

"What is it?", Bismuth asked as the other two came up along beside him. Still the biggest of the three, with Kat being the smallest. They to had grown in length, height and changed in appearance. The green male staring at the crumble-ready structure loomed over them.

"Beats me.", Seere shrugged, "All I know's that it throws rocks."

"That's _it_? I can do that~"

Katirin cocked a brow, and groaned, looking away and rolling her pretty yellow eyes, "You two pay SO little attention.", scoffing, "It's a Catapult!... But yeah. It flings rocks."

"Still.", Bismuth rubbed his chest, sifting his paw around in the dirt beneath him, and pulling out a moist cobble, lobbing it at the charred wood and actually breaking it, "See?", he teased.

But his face paled when the structure began to ween and groan, hearing the blackened wood buckle on the other sides, "Whoa!"

"Bismuth you idiot!", Seere tackled him forward, narrowing missed as a support beam crashed into the spot they'd just stood. Kat had scuttled back a safe distance long before it even risked hurting her, laughing almost and giving herself a hard face-paw.

The earth dragon grunted, and opened his eyes, blinking as he his face had been buried into the green floor beneath him, "Mmm?", his face flushed up, sitting up and dropping his friend onto the ground behind him, "How was I sposed to know it was gonna do that?!"

"I don't know... don't tick it off by throwing a rock at it?", Seere rubbed the top of his head, poking his hind foot into the charred wood, and hopped up onto it, elevating himself over the two others. A blue sky with almost no cloud cover made one hell of a hot day. But they'd lived here their whole lives... the three were used to the blazing heat. Not to mention if it got too hot they'd just take a dip in the oasis waterways. The irrigation system alone were wide enough for adults. But the deep pools sprung up in some places were deeper than sixty feet. No one really knew where all the water came from, but the lush terrain surrounding the city, and ten miles in all directions outward covered in vegetation and farmland?... no one complained. Though several underground waterways were found beneath the city itself.

"It's made of wood!"

"Oh... really...", he poked his chin with a claw, a dumb look on his face, "I couldn't tell.", before laughing and hopping up onto some other pieces, "Man this things big...", Seere spotted one of the rocks that could fit into the spoon-looking mechanism. That's what they lobbed at the city walls? "Wow!"

"Whoa~!", Katy actually hopped up on top of it, her claws holding her in place as she pawed at it and whipped her tail left at right. Compared to her it was huge, but as she compared it to the huge seeping walls? Looking back and forth over and over again... she blinked, and snickered, "It's so tiny!"

"Tiny? Are you crazy?", Seere stared up at her, tilting his head, and giving the boulder a light sniff, "Egh! Ew!", he didn't recognize the smell of liquid magnesium... but if he did, it was definitely what coated the rock. What made it light on fire when it was slung through the sky. He was dumb enough to give it a lick, "AH!", it was awfully rancid. His suffering got laughs out of his friends, but... thanks to being a fire dragon... was left relatively immune to other effects like burning. Thus he was left to roll around on the ground, both paws grating across his tongue, "_EGHHH_!", he whined.

"Hahaha!", Katy rolled onto her back, off the ground, rubbing her back clean of the liquid... she wasn't so hasty to give that a try.

"So it isn't water?", Bismuth asked, rubbing a paw pad against the rock, sniffing it and retching, pulling away, "I don't blame you, Seere..."

"Ahh! It's terrible!", the fire dragon groaned, rolling around on his back, hocking and spitting all over the ground, lolling his tongue out to let it drip, "Eugh~!", he looked ahead, and sprinted to the canal, dumping his snout in and drinking away to wash out the taste.

"You're the dumb male who went and licked it!", Katirin taunted, always the one to mock her friend's mistakes. But she was female... what could they do? Male's don't hit females. She had the immunity, therefore all they could do was complain.

"That tasted awful!", Seere lifted his head out of the water, panting and wiping the excess from his face.

As the fire and electric dragon exchanged words, Bismuth had pulled away for a little while, spotting a few crates that had been left behind, and mixed in the bushes and under some burned tarps, pulling them away to uncover the few remaining stuff. Muggy remains of bread rations, iron nails scattered around in the terrain, etc. But what really caught his eyes, "Whoa...", was the trampled dagger. Over the years living at the orphanage... they never really had access to the nicest of things. Therefore, like Fezzini's marbles, it was common for most of the young dragons to collect items of interesting origin. If it was shiny, sharp, or just never seen before... then nothing really stopped them from taking it.

In his paws it was rather heavy, streaked with hot desert earth that had to be rubbed off. It was bent at the base of the short blade, and already dulled out by some unknown use. It didn't seem like it was used for fighting much.

"Cool.", the earth dragon ogled it over, rolling onto his back and laying under a shady tree, and on soft grass.

It did not take long for Seere and Katirin to join him, plopping on both sides, "Ooooh! Where'd you find _that_?", Katy asked, poking it with her short claws, wagging her tail back and forth on a slow pivot, already cozied up on the grass beside Bismuth.

"It's a knife, right?"

"No way!", Seere butted in, leaping over the two and in a fell sweet of his claws before he landed, had snatched the weapon from his friend's paws, "It's a dagger.", turning and showing it to them far more clearly, and in the sunlight.

"Hey!", Bismuth complained.

"Knife-Dagger, same difference. Looks like any old thing I'd slice meat with!", Katirin scoffed, rolling onto her side and pouting over at the fire dragon. Though she didn't really cut her food... she devoured it; she was merely recalling how other inhabitants of their great city ate food. Heck she's seen Cerana use a set of eating tools before when that weird old male came through. What Kat liked to dub "Malefriend"... she had no idea who he was, just some grayed old dragon with lots of swirls. Old enough to be her grandfather by the looks of it.

"Well this one's meant to fight with.", Seere stuck out his sharp tongue.

"Hey that's all fine and dandy and whatever, but... can I have that back now, Seere?", the earth dragon had gotten up, and every second Seere was not watching, Bismuth had crept a little closer in hopes of attaining the collectable with one fell swipe.

"Hmmm~... It's dented anyway.", the young dragon smiled, tossing it back, fast enough to where the green dragon panicked as he tried not to be gut by the small tool.

"Thanks!", he smiled brightly, sharp teeth gleaming in the bright desert heat. It was nice to find something no one else would have his age. Not many weapons were just handed out to the children. This made a rusty, trampled dagger quite a find.

"I wonder what big, smelly ape left that behind anyway~", Katirin lifted his sharp, delicate claw and tapped the very tip of the blade, "He didn't take very good care of it. It's not even sharp!"

Seere laughed a little bit, "Guess you could say they were in quite a hurry to escAPE." such a terrible pun actually got a duo of darn awful glances.

"You feeling okay?", Bismuth asked, starting to smirk. It wasn't terribly often such a joke was played with, albeit a utterly dreadful pun at that.

"Pfft, feeling fine.", the fire dragon laughed, "It needed to be said!"

"No it didn't~" Kat grumbled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, unable to help the sneer across her face. The pun was so bad, it was the amusement it brought that was funny. She could probably hit Bismuth and have more comedic value than a pun about a monkey.

But the three began to snicker and chuckle together regardless, admittedly? They were great friends...

"Hahaa-Don't you _ever_ say that to me again.", Katirin managed a serious face, but continued to laugh shortly after. Shutting one of her eyes and giggling even, trying to calm down before the other two could. But her eyes shot right open. For a moment it sounded like she choked on her own tongue.

Seere wiped one of his eyes, flapping his wings. He noticed her change of attitude.

Bismuth looked back at their female friend, his laughing cut off almost immediately. The dagger slipping out of his paws, "S-...S-..." the earth dragon began to stutter.

Poor Seere had his back turned, "What?", his smile faded, but he felt a small huff of hot breath on his back, "Mmm...", this caused him to tense. No dragon had breath that bad.

"_Rrrrr_~", a deep growl escaped the throat of the creature behind them. Standing on the small mound, elevated over the three dragons, wielding a chipped war axe, and dressed in light, iron armor which was dented and broken off at some places. The fur mangled, and dripping with loose wounds. It was an ape.

"... meep...", Seere curled back when he turned to face it. They'd never actually seen one up close before, not even at a decent distance... only the description of adults and the friendly soldiers gave them to spark hope in the hatchlings and children of Scorpio.

Never had they imagined they looked like that. The primate bared it's large, bottom fangs. It's long snout was scarred a little, smeared in dirt and drenched in water which it must have just finished drinking shortly after awakening. A survivor. His weapon was still sharp, yet broken, and he had a limp going for him.

"_Liittle... dragons..._", it growled, softly stumbling down the hill.

Kat and Bismuth cowered behind Seere, who had no one else to do the same for. Why they didn't run was a question all their own. They were terrified.

"What should we do?", Bismuth whispered, opening Seere's wing and covering much of his face.

"_Seeeere_! Do something...!", Katy protested.

"Do what?!", the fire dragon squeaked, eyes widening as he pushed them back, whipping around as he tried to run. But they didn't foresee the actual speed such a wounded beast could muster. His tail was grabbed shortly after shoving Bismuth and Katirin away. Seere squealed with fright as he was picked off the ground. It was a medium sized ape, If not a little bigger than the average Ape Leader. He must have fought valiantly to stay alive this long and not be caught by the clean-up crews scouring the lands around the city... ten miles of either cultivated fields or jungle oasis in every direction. Plenty to hide in.

"Seere! Run!" Katy screamed, tears welling in her eyes as she and Bismuth back-peddled to a safer distance.

The fire dragons squirmed and struggled as the world turned upside down. Poor Seere never learned how to shoot flames... he was too scared to fight with his claws, "Waaahh!", his heart began to beat rapidly, and his entire form quivered, hanging in the Ape's grasp, watching with horror as it lifted the broken Glaive(Essentially a shortened Great Axe). It was broken in many places, half of the blade itself was missing... but it could easily kill such a small dragon in one blow.

"Seere!", Bismuth wailed, unable to move to help his friend... was he really about to die before him? What was he going to do? What were either of them going to do?

Panic set in, in mere moments the ax would come down and end his small life. But in the very essence of the darkness... his life did not flash before his eyes.

"Die! Dragon!", it boomed, the weapon over his head.

Seere's eyes were billowing with tears, shutting them tightly, still struggling... All the passion built in his chest to cry out for help, A cry that echoed through the oasis around them, "MOMMY!", he screamed, opening his small maw and unleashing a desperate torrent of fire, spreading it all onto the ape's battered face.

"Ahhh!", the creature dropped the weapon, landing it on the ground with a soft thud. It reeled back, almost off it's feet, holding it's face as it howled in terrible pain, "My eyes! I can't See!" the ape cried out in it's ragged, deep voice, letting go of the small dragon.

"Ah!", Seere hit the floor and rolled away, struggling to his feet, not yet realizing what he'd done, he scrambled to the relative safety of his cowering friends.

Kat was staring though. Bismuth not so much; instead the male got his paws around his terrified friend, happy he wasn't turned into fine-chopped sushi, dragging him backward and quivering.

The ape was stumbling around, knocking into trees, still unable to see clearly, "Rah! I cannot see!" it screeched over and over again. But when it gained it's footing, glinting through the mangled eyelids and burnt fur he finally saw blurs of the small dragons. He wasn't armed anymore save for his shield which had begun to slip from his grimy claws, "I'll have you skinned!", he roared and charged, "AH-AH!", booming that primate wail and charging forward with very vicious speed.

"_Ahhh!_", the young dragons all screamed at once as the ape landed in front of them and raised the shield to perhaps crush them with it... if not batter them to death. An arrow punctured into the beast's chest, cutting off it's roar and causing it to yelp in pain and confusion, stumbling back again. It had only broken the skin where it pierced it light iron armor, but it sure was enough to knock the wind out of him, and put him on the ground.

Seere was the first to stop screaming when he looked up, a group of armed Dingo and Bergata standing over them. Some trained on the downed ape, while the rest were peeled on the trio.

"Now how did these little ones get all the way out here?", one of the badger-like Bergata asked, folding his arms shortly upon sheathing his short-sword... the downy armor he wore was made of either bone, or leather, wearing face paint, his short fur was light brown and pale white, much like the species as a whole; though they tended to have blacks, grays and sometimes oak reds.

"You know the rules. You're not supposed to be outside the walls this time of day."

Bismuth, Katirin, and Seere as a whole were entirely speechless as they gazed up at the tall, warrior-bred soldiers around them. The hot desert sun was starting to beam it's hottest.

"What should we do with the ape, sergeant?", asked one of the dingo archers, "He still breathes."

"Strip him of his armor and weapons. That will be the guardians' decision. Not our own. You know the laws regarding prisoners of war.", the Bergata removed his skull helmet and hung it at his side, "And bind him to keep him from these hatchlings."

"Hey-!", Kat complained... she wasn't a hatchling. However she was cut short by a hard elbow to the gut, "Sorry...", she whispered.

As the primate was lifted off the ground and quickly removed from his suit of armor, save for the clothes beneath, a thick strap was laced around his arms which were put behind his back. He was lucky to be alive, glaring at the meddlesome little dragons before him, though cowering at the mercy of the much more powerful soldiers. His face was singed and blackened from the spitfire he'd taken to the face, and one of his eyes was swollen shut because of it.

When they moved him along the Bergata commander knelt before the three, "We will take you home once we've brought this ape before Aireos. Alright?", he did not sound amused, but his tone remained soft, and kind enough to keep them listening.

Seere, Kat, and Bismuth all nodded in agreement, just wanting to go back behind the safety of Scorpio's seeping barrier.

"Very good.", he stood, "Quickly... lets get these younglings inside before they reign a cohort upon us.", a bad joke indeed. The many other groups could find the remaining ape survivors.

It would be a long walk through the first gatehouse, then up to the second, then the third and finally to the great towers that encircled around the huge stone butte monument that forged the city's base structure it was founded upon.

"Seere...", Kat whispered, "Pssst.", she nudged the after-shocked dragon.

"Mm-Mm?", he asked, shaking himself awake, still tingling from his close call with death, making sure he was furthest away from the bound monkey not too far ahead, "W-what?"

"Do you know what you just _did_?", she asked in almost envious amazement, staring him over, seeing if he was okay.

"N-no...", but it started to come back to him, "I...", the realization hit, "I... I breathed fire.", Seere stopped in place, prompting his two friends to do the same.

"He what?", Bismuth asked, trying to coax them along so they weren't left behind. But lucky for them the Bergata commander was waiting in a break in the oasis trees, arms folded, sighing impatiently. He wouldn't call them just yet.

"I breathed... Fire!", his excitement rose.

There was little time for celebration, "Come along, young dragons!", the soldier barked, prompting them to jump in place, and skitter after him.

Oh this would be the envy of all the little hatchlings(And Fezzini) when the three returned to the orphanage! Cerana would be so proud!

He would be the envy of them all!... after they met the guardians of course.

* * *

**Hooray chapter two. If you need some assistance with timeline stuff this at present alread stands about 3 years prior to TLOS A New Beggining, maybe add a few months onto that. This story goes by the belief Spyro is perhaps 12 years old by the time A New Beggining... begins. Therefor Seere is three(and a few months) older than Spyro. This now makes Seere about 12 years old and still about 3 years of fighting until the original storyline kicks off. So we get a fill for some alternate history prior to TLOS:ANB**

**Scorpio is a very big city yes. Not Warfang's size, but it still occupies thousands upon thousands of citizens of all different ethnic backgrounds. Lower class all the way to Upper class. The oasis must be simply huge surrounding it in order to feed a city that big. So yes. A very BIG Oasis encircling it.**

**Maybe we'll get to see some Ape stuff when we're not trying to kill them for XP~**

**Thanks for reading! Review if you can it's been sweet getting this far already! **


	4. ACT I: The Easiest Decisions

**So yeah. This took.. a WHILE!. But after this complicated assortment of gobblety Gook it shouldn't be too hard to continue. I home you enjoy. Please R&R... its a little boring though Dx but there's SO much that happens ;) just TRY and catch all the clever stuff.**

_**ACT I**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**The Easiest Decisions**_

Scorpio has three districts; Lower, Middle, and Upper. Each of them separated by the inner walls and access-points that also served as the city's great leagues of defense. The wealthy tended to desire life far more than the poor, unkept and weary. Those in between just happened to live well enough to afford a home just out of harm's reach. Of course this didn't mean that every part of town on the outer rim was a shantyville. In fact... most of the buildings were very homely, small, perhaps crammed... but nothing brutal. In fact minus the danger a siege possessed, it wasn't all that common to hear citizens complain every waking hour. It had become so integrated into their daily lives that it was more like a common thunderstorm, rather than an army marching on their homes.

But lets cover a more dire part of this city's infrastructure. Not the physical beams that hold up it's buildings, or the sewer systems that keep it's lower levels relatively clean and the locals healthy, or the towers that make it a spectacle of the desert to behold.

It isn't just the stone and masonry that hold the numerous species and ethnicities together. Scorpio is founded upon two branches of government. The protectorate/governor... or in this state of war; the guardians. And then the far less efficient yet unparalleled importance of it's representative council. A place in which the many orders and those who stand out amongst their race come together to discuss matters of great!... or lesser. Importance.

It was a large tower building which stretched from the very rock center of Scorpio, to it's numerous landing balconies of it's most inner wall. A sizable dome and many floors and compartments to host dinner parties, private discussions, balls, and other gatherings that tend to influence diplomatic/political decision-making. Just beneath the dome roof was the top floor... a small arena-like place, completely circular with four underlying entrances that any sizable creature could walk under. It had a full 360 degree level of seating, a spansive, marble floor at it's centers... and ten rows of marble benches stacked atop one another to it's elevated walls.

A place that was-to say the least-decorated for the sole purpose of giving those who spent hours of their time inside a feeling of superiority... or equality amongst themselves; mind you... that was not the case for all. There were approximately fifteen or twenty minority groups, each of which had their own representation within the council... but there were not enough to fully match the most highly regarded species; of which were seven.

Those who had built the city from the foot of the rock butte it is founded upon centuries ago; The Armadillo.

Those who make up it's fearsome warriors and fight as the mainstay of any army; The Dingo and the Bergata.

The two species who simply take to it's history simply because they immigrated in vast enough numbers; The Cheetah.

And finally... the very species the realm was named after, and those who provide by far the most unrivaled protection and citizenship; The Dragons.

As history tends to repeat itself time after time it trickles down into once simple rule; The dragons are never always top of the food chain. Something the troops tend to put aside in order to fight by their side or look to them for help... but something those involved within the political spectrum hold near and dear to their corrupt hearts.

Countless times regarding the war itself, they are blamed for nearly all the hardships that come to pass, unable to comply with the fact the Ape Armies intended to wipe all off the face of the world, not just the dragons. Conflict between the many parties arise over all of the most grave decisions in which the city's governor are believed to be far too "insufficient" to make by themselves.

In short, crisis that are not taken by the governing body before they reach the council will never be decided upon fairly, unless given a good reason to do so... and this happened very rarely. It was just how things tended to work. And it brought tears to an elder's eyes whence he watched as the matured generation displayed almost toddler-like behavior.

It was late evening now, the sun was making it's descent over the horizon line. The thousands upon thousands of homes in the lower district had begun to light their lanterns to blazen the streets until curfew, and the songbirds throughout the oasis were starting to sing now that the impressive heat was dying away.

The huge council building was in session. A session that had just recently taken a terrifying course.

A large, aged paw slammed down on the barren marble floor, "That is _not_ your decision to make!", Aireos crackled, his swirly chin beard was almost in tatters, and any and all could tell he had become very stressed.

A senator rose to challenge him from up in the stands... a Bergata; gray as soot, rather short, yet stock and noble-looking, "It goes without question you of all dragons should know you have no power here, Aireos! Why should our weary soldiers and crumbled families suffer while you and your kind repress our pain!"

"We have given just as much of our blood and tears as any of you!", his voice rising gradually. Aireos and his fellow Guardians; Delybis and Aquarus. The Fear and Water Guardians. For the duration they had remained silent while the eldest, and wisest of them sought to restrain the council.

"And yet so many more soldiers die by comparison to you dragons. In the thousands!", the bipedal badger-like creature pounded his dark blue-gray fist into the stone pedestal. This information may be true but it was so flawed.

There would never be as many dragon compared to lesser creatures.

"We have given our lives. We fight alongside you for so many years and this is the burden you will place upon us?"

"Ohh Aireos. My dear friend.", the Bergata swooned his voice, deliberately changing his tone to show whatever sympathy he had, "Why, your youth should be more than happy to oblige this law. Why your orphanages alone are host to some of the finest urchins I have ever laid my eyes upon... Think of the possibilities, I beg of you... all these years of cruelty brought about by a simple Ape. The lives they could have lived, and the parents they might have cherished in bulk... _Stolen_ from them by these filthy primates!"

"Do _not_ twist their burdens to your will! I beg of you, Senator Capen this is madness..", disbelief in the old wind dragon's eyes.

"This is for our survival!"

"Survival will no longer be our concern when there is no generation to take our place come the end of this war!", the aged dragon splayed his frustrated wings, tempted to lash out... normally he would be far more self-controlled however, in this case there was far more at stake than his pride. What the privileged, worry-free few asked of the greater concerned?

"That is enough out of you, Guardian. You act as our protectorates. And ur Govenors but allow me the satisfaction of reminding you-When it comes to the people, we... are their voices. And what the people want is a greater sense of security.", he pointed his clawed finger to the trio before him, "More dragons to bolster our armies."

"But there is nothing more we can spare...", the pale dragon shook his head solemnly, "We have done so much as it is..."

"Which is why it is time to pass on the flame. Early it may be but the decision shall be made sooner or later whether or not one day we all shall fight. The inevitable will stand victorious...", the creature sighed, before gesturing to the numerous species all around, "Which is why we shall muster the strength we have and make the decision... rather than hide from it.", his voice seemed to echo.

Aireos stepped forward to object once more, but it seemed Aquarus had beaten him to the punch.

"This is madness! You only make the decision so easily because it is not _you_ who will have to take up the reigns of their ancestors!"

A loud _clonk_, the butt-end of a staff being pounded hard within the marble floor. As one of the Dingo, not the Bergata stepped forward to speak his mind. His body showed great age, shown in his hunched upper back, and sagging over-lips, drooping ears and scraggly fur, all witheld inside a desert-tan robe. "Nnn'Dat! Is en'uff!", he clicked loudly, growling, finally reaching the pedestal.

"Lycaon...", Delybis muttered. Lycaon looked disgustingly old at that, but very often did he show perhaps the most neutral sense of politics. The bad decisions he made constantly clashed near even with the Good.

The elder leaned himself forward upon the stone stand, "Alloh'm'self...", before clearing his throat, and speak more coherently for them, "Dis decision haz been undecided fo'many nights n't'many days. De Wind Guardian may not withold de voting any longah."

Three times may the Governing body veto a law that demands passing. Aireos and his fellow Guardians; Wind, Fear, and Water all unanimously agreed three times over that it remain in the air, and hopefully to have it forgotten and placed aside. But as politics against the ruling dragons has persisted... each time it has only been given another look. They were out of options.

"Thank you, Lycaon.", Counciler Capen gave a most subtle applaud, "Which brings me to my final point. Aireos. Delybis. Aquarus. In time's past you have all heard the stories. Your species has proven resilient against even the greatest odds. And it is within our hearts and sound judgment that we believe you can do it again."

Delybis stepped forward, "Yet it was never left in the hands of our _children_ to do so!" her dark violet red scales flickering with a summit of raw power. She so desperately wanted to end this with a demonstration of sheer will to destroy. The jagged thorns and dark eyes glimmered with hate. Yet her rage was quelled, doused by the paw of the water dragon.

"Del... that is enough.", Aquarus whispered to her, "We don't make our case any stronger..."

"If it is strength they wish me to demonstrate I would gladly-!"

"Delybis.", he repeated, shaking his head and sighing, "Silence.."

"You dragons lack insight... failing to see the big picture and it has blinded you to see the good that may come of this. It would not be all of your young; simply those who fit the age qualifications...", the Bergata chose his tone very carefully, but the very soul behind it was that of bad omens... it didn't matter how well you slapped a bow on top of the present, it was still a shrewd, unwanted gift.

Aireos quieted, and closed his weary eyes, turning himself away and sighing ever sadly.

The fear guardian stepped forward, her dark eyes wide with sympathy, "Aireos... please, you can't let this come to pass. It goes against everything we've fought for.. Still fight for.."

But she was solemnly put down by sheer loss of will to go on, "It is no longer within my control to delay it's decision... for three months I have vetoed this draft... Three times... I've used them all... yet they persist.", he had hoped that the council would simply lose interest and undertake other matters, but it seemed their stubborn desire to show their rather unfair power over the majestic sky beasts.

"Aireos, Guardian of the Winds please... you must have something you can do.", The Fear dragoness prayed, worry and strife shown on her face like a hurricane's aftermath.

"Unless we wished to commit to their destruction..", but it was far out of the question.

"So in light of this new shift in power.", the Bergata pounded his mallet into his podium, speaking loud enough for all to hear, "It is time we finally place this to a vote. Discuss amongst yourselves to decide the fate of our faithful allies."

"Venomous words!", Delybis hissed, closing her eyes as she bitterly turned away to sob in silence. Aquarus there to comfort her.

The wind dragon closed his eyes, inhaled before sighing greatly, "I am so sorry...", he began, hearing the voices begin to drown out their thoughts and beings. It was unnecessary to take such a long time... the most likely outcome was closing like a predator you could see before your very eyes and refused to attack and end the fear.

They were given thirty minutes, in which guardians remained standing while time ticked by outrageously fast. It was a grinding sensation, unstoppable even for the mighty Elemental Guardians.

One of the other major species; the Armadillo, rose up to bang his hammer upon the pedestal, "Time is up!"

"And we have made our decision!", The Bergata councilman immediately followed, as they had done possibly the least amount of discussion, "May we cast our votes gentleman?", peering to the Dingoes in his left, and the looping all the way around the large room to the Armadillo on his right, "We stand at the dawn of change, my friends... It would be in our best favor to make that decision. Now or never."

"De Bargatah'es correct.", Lycaon followed shortly after, tapping his staff upon the earth, "May we behgin..."

The Armadillo stepped forward, "From right to left.", the strong voice. He quieted... as though he to did not particularly admire the decision, "The Armadillo... Six of Ten.", the news had already stung the Guardian's ears.

The lead Cheetah stood, "The Cheetah... Four of Five."

Then the short, stocky mole climbed to the top of his elevated pedestal, "The Moles reject! Zero of Five!"

Aireos breathed a sigh of relief, closing his weary eyes and breathing became less tense... but things did not bode well still.

"The Gryphons of this City have discussed!... Three of Five!"

Already the bill was taking the lead, merely by one vote.

The dragon diplomat stepped forward, and in his olive ivory paws he shuffled a series of small papers, "At the consent of those within my party..", he began, "We have decided to keep those whom casted their votes in silence. The dragons have signed... two... of ten."

Aireos stood himself tall, and gazed in fury to his own species. They had selected what he believed to be the greatest decision... yet it wasn't their large margin which shocked him. Others had voted agaisnt his wishes? Other wanted such madness? "What?", he asked, voice echoing before he was silenced by the Bergata... by Capen by the sheer force of a mallet.

There was no time for gossip.

Lycaon was next; "The Dingo vote in favor of Senator Capen... nine of ten."

It was a short-lived sense of victory. This brought grave fear to the three guardians. They wished to end this session now by force, yet the wings of the elder stopped them... even as he to, stared in awe.

Finally it rested upon the Badger-like creature. Capen stood imposingly over them, gazing down to the dragons, "Then this session is over.", his voice rose like thunder, slamming his mallet upon the pedestal, "The Bergata establish that the draft be emplaced. Unanimously... Ten of Ten.", there was a twinge of roaring flames amidst his cold blue eyes, the room grew into a roar of casual debate as they rose to acknowledge both victory and defeat. The dragons rose from their seats to roar into discretion.

"Order!", Lycaon began.

Aireos staggered back, into the wings of his fellow guardians.

"Order!"

"Aireos... is this truly happening?", Delybis began, frantic and fearful(Quite ironic as opposed to her own element), "What do we do, there must be something we can do!"

"There is nothing", Aquarus broke in, "Whats done is done... We are useless before these arrogant creatures..", he whispered, letting his eyes fall, and then gaze up to the solemn old male. Aireos stared into the blackness before him, his bushy, white brows faded to grey it seemed, and his soft beard paled alike. So it had finally happened... something he believed that even the tainted could refrain from such a choice. To send children to war...

Yes there was no hiding the truth. Nothing between him and the relentless evil at Scorpio's gates now. It was easy to defend the lives behind the walls.

That luxury was deteriorated before his very eyes.

As though this new draft was focused on the orphanage and Cerana herself was first to come to mind.

The entire room erupted into yammering, perhaps regarding the specifics of the draft, rather than the draft itself. It overtook simply whatever could creature sound, enveloping the world around them in a cauldron of tongue-tying madness.

But the hellish atmosphere was broken by the striking of an loud gong... or more accurately the bell which hung in a small attic-compartment over the Eastern entrance of the chamber.

"Peace!", roared Lycaon as he stomped his mallet, though it wasn't he who ordered the gong to silence the room. Everyone looked on as a sizable platoon entered the arena, short of twenty men. And... a prisoner.

It wasn't the ape who lay in chains that brought dread to the guardians' eyes. It was the trio of tiny dragons that accompanied the cohort.

Yes they had been awed when they'd entered the building itself, but the talk of the three wasn't about the ape they walked beside, though they were terribly frightened the quiet, now miserable creature... it was about why he face was charred and burned, now concealed by a wet clothe which had been tied across the burns. Seere... the young fire dragon had finally sprayed his first flame. A true fire breath, no smoke nor embers meant to light tiny kindle fires... fire strong enough to repel a strong, warrior ape.

And they bickered of it quite a lot. Katirin shortly reducing it to luck and that it was impossible for him to repeat. His earthern friend could only show the awe he experienced the very moment it had happened, and simply marveled. One jealous... one in dismay.

"Do you really think they'll be here? The … The guardians?", Seere whispered, bouncing on his toes a bit so full of excitement. Granted, the three were by all definition... fans of the trade. But Seere since he was even smaller dreamt of being strong, and fearless. As such was the dreams of many children considered unwanted and weak. This made him ecstatic to hear he might be in the same room as a Guardian of an element.

"I heard Cerana talking about a big party today.. something super important.", Kat replied, nodding in a very know-it-all way. And once the ceiling above them began to tower they realized they were there... stopping along with the large group of creatures armed tooth and nail in leather, iron. Sword and Shield or strong bows and their respective arrows. Had to admit... seeing such a vast array of things up close could woo the minds of young children.

Bismuth had once reached out for one of the weapons, simply to touch it... but of course the Bergata soldier wouldn't have it, not even from a dragon, swatting his paws away and scolding them all sharply. Well a short story shorter... they didn't try it again.

The ape was far less violent than they'd ever suspected, actually it was kind of strange to think of apes as anything but mindless creatures. All the soldiers who used the taverns just down the road from the orphanage ever talked about was how big their fangs could get, and how loud and savage they could become. But seeing this particular ape gave them an uneasy feeling. He did nothing but stare aimlessly at the polished marble floor beneath him. He didn't even look to admire the granite masonry.

The council planned on punishing him and then allow him to leave, right? The way the children saw the situation was that no one had to get hurt.

It was strange.. but something prodded the fire dragon to ask the ape; "Whats your name?", albeit there was no wisdom and just simply curiosity, much like a child of any species might be... naïve. The ape simply grimaced, his charred right eye not allowing him to look Seere's way, but he knew which one was speaking. The dragon who had taken his eye... a stupid little hatchling. Likely today was his last...

Seere simply quieted, and returned to his friends' sides. They perked at attention when the question rang. The mention of the guardian dragons, and the Bergata captain, asking; "Do these children belong to you?", the group parted from the three... and the ape just a bit.

The three couldn't believe their eyes as they stared at the much larger adults before them. The council was a big place of course.. and the many creatures were so enthralling to see all in one place but to them the real sight, especially for Seere... was that of the three Guardians of the elements. Wind, Water and Fear. All here? In one place?

"Wooow.", the boy was ecstatic, shimmying forward as his two companions followed, "It's really them.", he whispered.

"Seere!...", Kat tried to stop him, as they were causing a bit of a scene.

By the gods it was reall the wind guardian, the leader of Scorpio's armies... and his two closest consulates; Delybis and Aquarus. It was so fascinating to meet them in person... a little hatchling's heart could race a mile a minute. But something was wrong... ever wrong. This image seemed... off. The look in the elder dragon's eyes was that of dread.

Seere's smile turned into a puzzled frown as he tilted his head and eyed up at them. The guardians were silent until Aireos spoke, "Yes... I recognize these youthes." his voice so old, weakened. It felt tired and worn away. Weren't great warriors prideful and full of life? These were not the stories Seere heard. He must be just so exhausted. Or maybe it was that they were not fighting? That had to be it. The young child refurbished his smile, and his interest soared... something that did not bode well in the eyes of the Guardian.

"We found them outside the walls this morning... We were lucky to reach them when they did, otherwise the ape may have killed them.", as he gestured to the shackled creature who hadn't moved since they arrived.

There was a gentle murmur amongst the parties who had approved the draft, and a sharp argument until councilor Capen rose from his seat, "Gentlemen what perfect timing this is to receive the first glimmer of our thriving future.", as he descended, accumpanied by his own guard of four armed Bergata. "This timing could not have been better.", offering his hands to the air in compliment of the halo they provided, "Ah. The new faces of Scorpio's finest."

"That's enough!", Delybis protested, stepping between the smaller creature and her kin; the three younglings.

"New Faces?", Bismuth whispered, as the trio huddled close to one another.

"Shh!", the blue dragoness chirped, butting him with her hind leg, where's Seere looked between the two, tilting his head at the elders.

The guards trained their weapons, "My friends, there is no need for violence. Weapons at ease!~", Capen mused, gesturing for his lessers to lower their arms from the fear dragon.

"... He is right.", Aireos inquired, stepping between them, in her ear he scolded gently, but with sympathetic woe. They guardians would have no power here... asserting themselves over the dragonlings would only tensify the already bleak relations amidst Scorpio's political spectrum... this couldn't be allowed to stoop any further.

"But!-"

"Del... that is enough.", Aquarus stepped forward, his wing upon her other shoulders as his frills retracted into his neck. Neither was either of them any happier than she... but they knew now was hopeless. They could only stand by and watch.

"Step forward, little ones.", Capen smiled, and knelt. As the young dragons were pressed forward by the soldiers accumpanying them... though a little rough, only Katirin's stubborn ego was the largest contributor to any discontent, "Such strong little dragons. Healthy and powerful.", he chuckled, training his eye on the fidgeting girl of the three, "Certainly powerful." those eyes now filled with amazement... but also zeal.

"Thats right!", Kat boasted, puffing out her chest before quieting, blushing as she saw the many eyes watching them.

"Hmhm...", the older Bergata smiled, his clawed fingers stroking his sharp, graying chin furs, as those strong, thorough eyes examined them, "Little dragons. Today marks a very important day... when youths much like yourselves can rise to the occasion, and take back what is rightfully your own. To serve your city and those who would look down on you... sha'll look up and cheer your names."

Aireos closed his eyes, and grit his fangs... he wished to speak, but was unable to say what lay on his mind. This was not the first day this discussion led to violent debate... and he had been warn thin. So much that the old wind dragon took a solemn step back, as if to better view the situation.

"Aireos... we cannot let this be..", Delybis whispered, her heart racing within her brought, dark red-violet chest.

"It isn't our place to decide...", his elderly lips parted, dry and feeble now, "We must only watch.." lashing out would be pointless, and would only bring numerous other problems to his table. Forced to watch that charismatic Badger speak to the children and hail them as gods-to-be.

"Take back what's ours?", Seere asked, his saphire eyes glistened with confusion.

"My ears did not decieve me... it is a shame you never knew the touch of family...", Capen whispered, shockingly enough to court did not become unstable, rather amidst their whispers the many of the council had resumed their private talks. "One day you will be strong enough to give back what these beasts took from you ten fold.", dignifying the testament of war, conflict of thousands... as a red sun burned brightly in the sky, "Today you are all warriors... true warriors of your race."

"Warriors?", Bismuth stepped in, letting his head down as the hefty earth dragon crouched behind Katirin, whom was simply befuddled herself.

Before they could protest, the chancelor rose, "Yes. To be the saviors of the realm... the next generation to protect what your ancestors hailed centuries upon millenia ago. To be apart of something greater...", he knelt again to look upon them, "To be more than street urchins."

Seere on the other hand was quiet, his eyes to his paws... to be more than an orphan wandering the city streets when they weren't under watch of Cerana? No longer steal food from the local markets when they got hungry and couldn't wait til they were served their rations from the uptown? "We would... see the Guardians every day? And we wouldn't have to stay behind the walls anymore?" it was like a big adventure story to him, rising before his very eyes.

"Seere!", Katy blurted, "Are you crazy?!"

Bismuth remained huddled into himself, but watching, close to his friends... he felt as though they should all feel small yet... he felt like the only one not too pysched on the idea, "Seere... That doesn't sound like a good idea..."

Capen rose to his feet, "Take your time, young dragons. It will all make sense to you soon enough.", he smiled, crossing his arms... the kind of smile that got smiles in return as he handed them each something they'd likely never seen before. Gold Coins. One for each of them.

"Whoa!", Kat's entire protest turned to wonder as an instinct kicked in, she took it in her nimble paw and stared, "Is that?"

"Gold... Something special. Like the three of you.", as he turned on heel, and raised his hands, announcing in a most booming voice while the soldiers stared on, now seperate from the many guards within the council building and in their own unit. The original twelve or so of them. They still guarded the ape from any who might wish to end his life "Justifiably".

"My friends, my allies... My fellow citizens of this grand city. Today we look on in admiration of these three young heroes who had already braved their first trial.", he gestured to the chained Ape, "Three young dragons who represent the face of Scorpio's newest mandate. May we see to them... and hail them worthy of that title.", as Capen gestured to the trio... applause began to roar from the perhaps hundred or more took a stand... and the few who did not see eye to eye held their ground.

"This is madness...", Delybis whispered, her eyes practically flaring with power... rage filling her chest as the female wanted nothing more than to burst, "Aquarus, there must be something we can do!", notice she did not look to the elder guardian... but her aquatic companion.

"The council has made it's decision... All we can do is honor it..", his golden yellow eyes fell. The answer wasn't any better than what Aireos would have given her... and the Fear Guardian demonstrated this in only one way... an enraged stomp her foot,

"I... There is much to do. With the siege over!", she grunted to them both, her head falling to gaze onto the floor, heart heavy, "Our forces will need organizing!... I'd sooner rely on my messenger boys to deal with that kind of thing than my own squadrons.", as the devil-looking physique stepped back, her sharp snout turning away as her curved, black horns were the last Aireos and Aquarus might see before her jagged tailblade and yellow eyes vanished. Delybis exits the chamber, the large double door snapping shut as she leaves.

Only when their gold coins ceased to tickle their fancy did the young three dragons of Fire, Earth and Electricity return to their squabbles. Huddled away as Capen spoke of plans for the future.

"Seere.. I don't want to be a warrior.. I like living with Cerana.."

"Yeah, but Bismuth imagine!... We'd be better off if we do!... We're old enough to make our own decisions, aren't we?", the twelve year old persisted, smiling ever brightly, "We wouldn't have to beg for food anymore.. and we'd get to leave and go see places!"

"But Scorpio is all I wanna see..."

"Ohh... come on, Bismuth. You only say that cuz your chicken!", Katy growled. Ironically she didn't approve either, but she wasn't about to let her fears take hold of her.

"Guy's it would be like one big adventure! Think about it... When we come home we'll be big and powerful."

"And famous.", Katirin smiled toothily, her green eyes glimmering with thoughts of stardom. Granted it wasn't her being a well known dramatic, nor an actor.. but this was the next best thing and possibly, upon a young girl's second consideration, her best chance.

"But.." Bismuth frowned, swallowing yet again so uneasily, "I.. I guess..", but he flinched when Katirin hugged him, his eyes bulged as both he and Seere widened their eyes in shock. She'd had a massive change of heart toward him so suddenly.

"Bissy.. It's okay if you don't wanna come..", the world around them and all the words of the council washed out, "I'll miss you if you don't...", was she.. manipulating him? Or was she being honest? The glisten in her sweet green eyes could not lie.

The Earth dragon quieted, his bottom lip quivered for a moment before he shut his yes tight and squeezed her, the young girl squeaked as he pulled her a little off her toes and hugged her back, "Okay!... I'll come!...", what she'd done was remind him that he didn't want to be alone.. not without them, not without Seere and Katy to spend the long desert nights with...

"Gah!", Kat squirmed a bit after a while, "Hey! Lets not get started with the waterworks!", as she could see tears brimming in his eyes.

Seere looked to his paws, sniffling... "Darn It, Bismuth...", he smiled, grinning even, "You're gonna make ME Cry!"

The Gong was rung. And attention was called to Senator Capen once more. The badger had his hand to the air, "My fellow dragons.. younglings.. step forward."

The three youths perked up, eyes looking amongst themselves before they did as they were asked, moving through the parting creatures between them and two well dressed creatures, one Armadillo and a Bergata Page, as they had some of the soldiers roll out a small wooden table, in which they place out a wide set of mobile steps for them to rise upon.

"Sign your names.", Capen commanded, gently, his eyes washing the three in a certain.. selfish pride, which to them was in the form of a grateful smile. The trio drew closer until Seere rose first, looking down on the wide... lengthy... unreadable scripture. He did not read... but he did his best to make that unknown.

Aireos would look away from this and sigh... he knew. And Aquarus though upset.. he too found some amusement in that, "The youngster has so much heart..."

"Mmmn...", the old wind Guardian found little to say to that.

Seere looked up at the two figures as the Bergata handed him a quill, and set down a small bottle of Ink. This was the one bit of literature Cerana taught all the young orphans... a signature. Never to be used unless one was absolutely sure that whatever they were signing was what they wanted... Only Bismuth exercised that concern... and perhaps Katirin and Seere only much less hesitant as one by one they signed their names in dragonic.. sloppy and almost unreadable along one of the barren lines where many names were to follow. Room for hundreds more...

As they were done the document was taken away. As it was so out in the open.. Aquarus placed his wing between Aireos and the sight of that dreaded length of parchment. Luckily the children hadn't noticed.

There was but one issue to address when the masses were calmed yet again from their mixed applause.

"My Guardian.", the commander of the platoon still surrounding the wounded Ape. Capen's eyes fell upon this with insult... dare they ask of the Wind Dragon than his own judgement while in the Representative domain?

Aireos slowly.. but surely removed himself from the sad trance he'd fallen into, "Mmn? Yes? Speak..", shifting and rolling his powerful shoulders before he exhaled.

"What do you intend to do about the ape? We brought him under complicated circumstance..", if the young dragons weren't present they might have simply killed him regardless of surrender.

The wise old male looked up from the Bergata captain... and began to step forward, moving toward the wounded beast with solemn, weary eyes, "This Ape... Half blinded and broken..", such an old voice.. all began to listen.

Expecially Bismuth and Katirin.. but of course Seere was locked, puzzled still by Aireos.

As the soldiers parted to reveal the silent prisoner, the ape looked up to him, one of his fangs seemed to have broken since his arrival.. possibly taken a hit amidst the chaos by the less self-controlled of the Dingo.. tempersome creatures after all. Their species known for ferocity in the heat of the moments. Perhaps a funny(though likely pitiful) look from the monkey had set him off... and the butt of a sword came down whilst no one watched.

"Do you have a name, Minion of Malefor?"

His good eye opened, his left eye, the right side of his head charred and blackened by a hatchling's fire, chained.. and beaten he looked up, "... Why would that matter to you, Dragon?", he asked, "You intend to have my head, anyway..", his neck weak.. muscles exhausted as he let himself fall.

"Perhaps..", the elder whispered, audible only to those close by, "But it is not often we hear the names of those we call enemy... Tell me.. are you as nameless as those who have slain your allies claim to be?"

It seemed that such gentle words could move mountains, ".. Ironspike..", the Medium sized ape whispered.

"Mmn?", Aireos turned his head.

"What is the meaning of this, Aireos?", Capen demanded, "Why is the name important?", as if demanding why someone would shatter a priceless vase it was absurd.

"I could not hear you..", the Wind Guardian continued, ingoring the Senator's complaints, even as murmurs began to rise around them.

"My name...", now louder as the crowds were silenced, "Is Ironspike.", he sounded aggravated, a hard twitch in his eye. Ape names were always so much different from Dragon names... as not many had such abrupt or ridged nouns.. it was always something meaningful to their element or graceful or crude to match appearance rather than heritage.

"An interesting name. Think on this!", The Wind Guardian turned to face the crowd, "How often do we hear the names of apes... as we look upon them with such discrimination?" his eyes scolding the circumference of the chamber... as they quieted for him to speak his mind, "Are they truly as violent as we think? Look now... He kneels in pain.. Can we give him no mercy?"

"And what of the many Ape's you yourself have slain in countless battles, Aireos?", Lycaon finally inquired, "Why sha'll I yield from allowing one of my own from ending this creature's life this moment?", he asked.

"Simple.", the elder dragon began, as his wings opened and gestured across the arena floor to the trio of dragonlings, "It was not our opponent to begin with... his fate lays on their wings."

"I object to this!", Capen rose to his feet, "This Ape is a murderous creature! For our safety and the safety of these children that have wounded it, we must take its life now!", finding himself looking down to the three little dragons.. no older than eleven or twelve. So was this just a rouse by the Guardian to humiliate Capen before the council? Surely he wouldn't normally give a group of hatchlings the opportunity to end another's life!

Or did the governing elder grant this to Seere and his companions out of some last chance at living without the guilt of death?

"Tell me.. little ones.", his soft, old voice coed, as the three little dragons stood before him, their eyes looking between the elder, and Ironspike, "He is your responsibility... Sha'll we give the Ape a second chance?"

It seemed that no matter how long the child waited he would never get the chance to speak with the guardian. Seere was side tracked into this, looking up at the bitter monkey as it was forced to look back down at him, two swords drawn in case he attempted to lunge for the children. But he was surprisingly tame, "I..."

Bismuth spoke up, "I don't want him to get hurt..."

"Shh!", Katy snapped, and butted him with her wing, getting an _Oomph_! Out of the young earthern drake, but under the scornful eye of the guardian they both fell their eyes on Seere... after all, they both knew it was he who actually fended the monkey off with a breath of Fire. Maybe just this once they didn't have to decide as a group.

"We-..", the scarlet child looked to the ground, folding his light brown wings into his shoulder and tried not to look up at the ape, "What'll happen to him if I say no?

The elder sighed and looked down to the ape, "Ironspike would meet a fate he might not particularly enjoy... Things that you would not want upon yourself, young dragon."

Seere's eyes widened, ready to step away, "And.. If I say yes?"

"Then Ironspike shall be given a chance at rehabilitation.", that word sparked discent amongst the council almost immediately. As even the shackled Ape looked up, his eyes wide with surprise.. anxiety rising in his chest. Did rehabilitation mean torture? Or was it servitude? Did It mean life without war?

"Silence... Silence!" Aquarus ordered, raising his wings as even Lycaon smashed his mallet to his podium. But Capen remained in silence, watching with eyes once in control now forced to act as a measely bystander. Moved from the center of attention and into the audience. Like this was a lame child drama.

Seere might not have answered had Aireos given him an encouraging 'well?' and his soft voice crackled, "I... Don't want anything bad to happen to him... I think hurting him was enough..", before the child swallowed.

The wind guardian looked upon him. The result was expected but it still brought a warm, hopeful smile to his face. And Capen was displeased... two birds with one stone. The children could mingle with themselves again before he announced, "I hereby relieve this ape from the Council's personal agenda."

"That is unnecasary, Aireos. And you know it!"

"That youngling has made his decision.", the wind dragon retorted, "Bicker if you must. Your council has no juristiction over the prisoners of war. That is a Military Matter, not a civilian's."

"Civilian?!", But the Bergata was gently waved down as Lycaon spoke up.

The old dingo stroked across his ragged chin, his ears hung low and his thick, saggy lips parted, "You embarrass yourself Capen.. hold your victory while you have it... It is but one ape.."

"A monkey who was brought to our chamber."

"That is enough..", as the old dog smashed his mallet to the podium and narrowed those murky brown eyes, shifting the collar of his heavy robes as he appease Aireos, "This session is at an end."

Seere's eyes hailed on Ironspike, but the wings of the lapiz blue water guardian parted their chance at eye contact. As the bleachers were now alive with activity again as they numerous began to depart or mingle with one another, clear that the dragon Guardians wanted to be the first to leave rather than get caught in the swarm. Ironspike was taken away specifically by soldiers.. not senate guard.

From the senate floor and down, into the cooling desert night, there was even a light draft as all the heat began to wash over and turn into a cold, late evening. The three little dragons followed the guardians. They were taking them home themselves? Wow!

"Aireos?", the small voice drew the Wind guardian's attention, looking down to his side to find the trio moving between he and Aquarus.

"Yes?... What is it, little one?..", still not knowing the fire drake's name.

Seere kept close to him, gazing up to the elder still with skeptical yet wonderous eyes, he had so many questions yet he couldn't help but change the topic to something more reasonable. "What's really gonna happen to Ironspike?..."

The water dragon however, reeled himself in, "Not to worry, young dragon. The ape will be fine... but for now. Let us walk you and your friends home."

"We can walk ourselves~", Katirin grumbled ever so proudly, but.. she likely wouldn't want to pass up the company of the famous war dragons.

Bismuth simply stuck close to his two friends, "What do you think Cerana's gonna say when we get back?.."

Katy blurted, "Oh no! She's gonna be so mad at us!" As they wandered off into the cold, Scorpion night.


End file.
